Coach Bill McCartney honored the 1990 Championship team at midfield at halftime. The University of Colorado football team hosted the University of Georgia Saturday night, October 2, 2010 at Folsom Field in Boulder. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post

BOULDER — All you ex-Colorado fans who will remove your “ex” when they ax Dan Hawkins, I know when they’ll fire him. You will too. So will athletic director Mike Bohn. No need to bombard him with questions and pleas. He won’t reveal a thing.

Doing research on the pros and cons of midseason firings, it’s clear what’s the No. 1 red flag: It’s when a team quits.

The Buffaloes haven’t quit on Hawkins. They still play hard if not well. There is no apparent division on the team. The fans, who keep filling Folsom Field, haven’t chanted for Hawkins’ head as Minnesota fans did for Tim Brewster’s. Buffs fans are too classy.

Instead, they boo the kids.

However, if the 3-4 Buffaloes lay down against 11th-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday night, Hawkins could be gone next week.

That will bring us to the successor search, which is going on now. I’m told four people are atop the target list: Bill McCartney, Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain, Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and LSU coach Les Miles.

I understand the clamor for McCartney, who made CU football matter for the first time since just after the Vietnam War. I’d endorse the move if he had a coach in waiting who could be the touchstone for recruiting, similar to Chip Kelly at Oregon and Jimbo Fisher at Florida State.

I just hope Boulder isn’t such a cow town that Bohn doesn’t look beyond that last snowy Rocky Mountain peak. Sure, McCartney brings name recognition, tradition and rejuvenated enthusiasm and that could add up to instant success.

But he’ll have to overcome one major hurdle. He’ll have been out of the game for 16 seasons. This isn’t like Bill Snyder, who rescued Kansas State after a three-year absence.

When McCartney last coached, the Internet was barely a whimper. Forget Facebook and Twitter. You might not think the generation gap on his resume is a big deal, but Bohn might.

McCartney’s right-hand man is apparently Mullen High School coach Dave Logan. Huh? I have as much respect for Logan’s success in life and time management skills than any person I know, but a 56-year-old former high school coach in waiting isn’t exactly Kelly or Fisher. Malzahn was a high school coach, but this is his fifth year as a college coordinator. By the time Logan is ready, McCartney could be coaching with a walker.

Miles is the obvious choice, and it’s apparently a possibility. I can’t blame him. Every time I wade through the sleaze and sweat of the SEC, I want to take a really long, hot shower. The guy is three years removed from a national title, was 7-0 and sixth in the country last week yet fighting for his job.

He’ll have to take a massive pay cut from his $3.95 million haul, but Colorado boosters can gather enough funds to make at least a respectable bid.

Colorado, however, will have a real problem attracting an established head coach for one huge reason. This is not a good job. The athletic department doesn’t get great support from a president’s office that seems to change hands as often as the coach’s chair.

Chancellor Phil DiStefano’s priorities of education over athletics are comforting, but it might not lead to titles. For example, assistant coaches’ salaries are limited to one-year contracts and are regularly among the lowest in the Big 12.

Ex-athletes and athletic department personnel also point to a woefully inadequate academic support group. Hawkins has had numerous players academically ineligible during his five-year tenure.

Gary Barnett, his predecessor, had virtually none. Why? Barnett and his staff took academics in their own hands. Hawkins doesn’t. He doesn’t think he should have to and he’s right.

Also, this state produces only five to 10 major-college prospects a year, which would severely reduce Logan’s value to the staff.

This is all besides facilities that make Colorado the Bangladesh of the Big 12. Ex-Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who has not been contacted, would take one look around and high-tail it back to Nikeville.

However, a young offensive coordinator might stick around. Bohn must keep his options open. In other words, don’t quit.

After watching Air Force kick the CU Buffaloes’ tail, not to mention their undefeated record, into the wild, blue yonder, here’s a legitimate question: How in the world is the Pac-12 recognized as a Power Five football conference?